This invention relates broadly to the art of open fireplace and chimney construction and more specifically to systems for making open fireplaces and their chimneys more efficient.
Experts have long recognized the possibility of capturing heat from fireplace flues by circulating air around flue liners to pick up heat from hot air passing through the flue liners. United States patents which disclose such systems include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 289,634 to Ernst; 1,060,415 to Ayres; 1,361,389 to McLeod; 1,608,777 to Derrough; 2,093,492 to Snyder; 2,199,836 to Mairs; 2,231,258 to Elmore; 2,277,436 to Howle; 2,453,954 to Wright; 2,767,702 to Giwosky; 2,879,976 to Rose Sr.; 3,120,225 to Stark et al.; 3,547,202 to Ticknor; 3,913,663 to Gates; and, 4,010,728 to Hempel et al. However, a major difficulty with these systems is that they are not useful for general applications. That is, in most cases the various parts of the systems must be sized to fit different buildings and fireplace/chimney arrangements. Thus, in most cases, a new arrangement must be designed for each different building. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a chimney heat capturing system having standard elements which can be mass produced at a factory and assembled at building sites to fit almost all buildings and all fireplace and chimney arrangements.
Yet another difficulty with most of the systems disclosed in the patents cited above is that they require a great deal of coordination between bricklayers and other construction workers in that in those systems liners (such as sheet metal, or pipe liners), must be cut or formed to correspond to the shapes of laid bricks. It is therefore yet another object of this invention to provide a chimney heat capturing system which can be installed with relatively little coordination between brick masons and other construction workers.
Yet another difficulty with some of the systems described in the above mentioned patents is that they require chimney constructions which are quite different in concept from presently constructed chimneys and chimney liners and, therefore, they require unusual considerations which are difficult for brick masons, and other construction workers to adapt to. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a chimney heat capturing system which is constructed and installed basically in the same manner as existing chimneys and chimney liners.
Further, it is an object of this invention to provide a chimney heat capturing system which is relatively inexpensive and which is uncomplicated in structure.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a method of constructing a heat capturing chimney which is quite similar to current methods of constructing chimneys.